Silva eligible to return in November after retroactive 1-year ban
Anderson Silva will receive a one-year suspension from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that dates back to November 2017, USADA announced Wednesday.
That means he'd be eligible to return on November 10, 2018. USADA determined the positive test was due to contaminated substances.
The 43-year-old Silva, who apparently tested positive for synthetic testosterone and a diuretic, confirmed he intends to return to the Octagon.
"I am vindicated. The past nine months have been extremely difficult," Silva said in a statement to ESPN's Ariel Helwani. "I felt like my career and everything I had worked so hard for was dying and my future was hanging in the balance.
"I knew in my heart that I had done nothing wrong and fully cooperated with USADA during their inquiry to prove it. Today I have a renewed energy. My legacy is restored. I can focus on getting back into the ring and the next chapter of my life after fighting."
The former middleweight champion last fought Derek Brunson at UFC 208, winning his first bout since October 2012. He was yanked from a November 2017 date with Kelvin Gastelum due to the positive test.